TPEF Scholar Talks among AIMS Maritime Students

Engine Cadet Rey Emmanuel Lebanto, a TPEF scholar, gave a talk entitled “Expectations and Realities – On Board” among graduating maritime students, batch 2016 on March 31, 2017 at Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS) Multi-Purpose Court. He shared his experiences for the past several months as a seafarer. He mentioned some common misconceptions and ideas maritime students had during college days different from their life when working on a ship as cadets. He also spoke about the challenges at work, and in some instances, with a co-worker or colleagues, and the positive side as a seafarer— the earnings, new places visited, the camaraderie, teamwork and even friendship that had developed.

Rey Lebanto, a TPEF scholar, talks about his experiences on board as engine cadet among marine students.

In the open forum, he provided a brief information on what to expect when applying for a shipping company, the common questions asked during interviews and requirements prior to application in international vessels. “When on-board, embrace your p-o-w-e-r or perseverance, optimism, will, enthusiasm and respect,” he advised as his concluding statement to his schoolmates which he learned from TPEF and its learning summits. He purposely added respect in the p-o-w-e-r (r or reflection) statement, a value he also deemed essential particularly in seafaring career where there are different cultures in the working environment.